Future Perfect
by Gmariam
Summary: The first time it happens, Jack is not sure what to think. He's always said (and believed) that he is not the type of man to get jealous in a relationship, and at times it has even been true. But not this time—not with Ianto.
1. Part One: Past

Part One: Past

The first time it happens, Jack is not sure what to think. He's always said (and believed) that he is not the type of man to get jealous in a relationship, and at times it has even been true. Before he met the Doctor, and periods after when he refuses to let himself care too much.

But then he meets someone whom he hadn't planned on falling for, someone who inevitably brings it out, and he knows he's fallen when he feels that twinge in his gut, along with the voice in his head whispering that the man he's seeing is sleeping with someone else, or the woman he's dating would be happier with someone else, because he's not good enough and never will be.

Usually this twinge is Jack's clue to back off. If his lover _were_ seeing someone else, that other person could certainly offer more than Jack can, and ending things leaves his lover free to pursue another relationship. Particularly as he becomes more and more ensnared in Torchwood, Jack knows he can never fully commit to someone in the way most of his partners are looking for because his life is nothing but secrets, secrets he used to think he could never share.

And Jack isn't going to commit anyway, no matter how much he's wanted to at times, because it always hurts in the end, and it always ends. They will die, or he will leave, or even worse, they will leave him, like Lucia Morretti, who'd found out his secret and couldn't stand to look at him anymore. She'd not only left him, but had gone into hiding as fast as she could with their daughter in tow.

So when Ianto returns from a weekend away looking more relaxed than Jack has seen him for months, Jack tries not to acknowledge that twinge in his gut, or the voice whispering to him that Ianto is happier because he has not been with Jack all weekend. He certainly has no reason to suspect that Ianto went away with someone, but the thought forces its way into his mind anyway. It's been six weeks since he returned and asked Ianto on a date, wanting more from their relationship. They've worked through things and grown closer, and Jack is happy. He's also fairly sure that Ianto isn't the type to step out behind Jack's back, nor could he keep something like that secret if he was, but the niggle of doubt burrows deep.

He welcomes Ianto back with a deep kiss over coffee, wishing he and Ianto could go away together one day, but he knows it's an impossible dream, so he doesn't think about it or the twinge of jealousy, and tries to make the most of the time they have.

* * *

The problem is, Jack isn't sure if he's making the most of their time together or if Ianto is happy with it. Oh, he professes a good time when he and Jack manage to go out, and he even seems happy and relaxed when they stay in. And the way he calls Jack's name in bed leaves no doubts as to his enjoyment of that particular activity, not that Jack has ever had any complaints.

Yet every so often, Ianto begs off with plans for the night, and Jack hates the feeling in the pit of his stomach, the feeling of being left behind, not wanted. When Ianto takes another weekend off several months into their relationship, not long after the incident with the space whale they failed to save, Jack has to force himself not to track Ianto's phone. He knows his behavior with Gwen made him look like an arse in front of the team and suspects Ianto could use some space. He considers going on the pull for a night, but finds the idea bothers him too much to follow through. Even the thought of Ianto naked and wrapped around someone else does little to motivate him. He sulks the next day; the others call him on it, so he goes and sulks some more on his favorite rooftop.

He hates what it really means, and ignores it in favor of Weevil hunting, but it's not the same without Ianto.

* * *

The third time Ianto takes a weekend off is the most difficult yet. They're all still rattled from their lost days, though, so he understands that Ianto can use some time away. He seems particularly affected, worried that he has done something wrong. He heads out for the weekend with a silent wave, and Jack knows that the twinge in his gut isn't only jealousy and his deep fear that Ianto is enjoying time with someone else, but also a very real sense of longing. He misses Ianto and wants to be the one spending time with him, comforting him after a bad day, making him happy away from the daily grind of their lives at Torchwood. He suspects he'll never be that man, however, and it hurts. He wants to be more, but doesn't know how.

Jack can't help it when Ianto returns from his trip with a new, shorter hairstyle and the beginnings of the sexiest beard Jack has seen in years. His fear and insecurity (and yes, jealousy) get the better of him. While the girls coo over his new look and ask about his time off, Jack can only nod and force a smile before he retreats to his office, confused and disappointed.

It isn't long before Ianto comes to see him, two mugs of coffee and a gift bag in his hands. Not wanting to be rude, especially because Ianto looks damn good with a beard and Jack sort of hopes the gift is for him, he puts on a smile and even tries for a subtle leer.

"Gonna let me try out that stubble?" he asks, and is pleased when Ianto runs a hand along his jaw, slightly embarrassed.

"Yes, well about that," he starts, and Jack waves him away.

"Leave it," he says. "It's hot."

Instead of looking surprised or embarrassed as he often does over such compliments, Ianto rolls his eyes and nods. "Thought you might think so," he murmurs. He places the gift bag in front of Jack. "And I thought you might like that, too."

"Aw, you shouldn't have," Jack jokes. He hopes it isn't obvious that he's covering up his nerves. He and Ianto have not really exchanged gifts, particularly random non-holiday gifts. Jack took Ianto out for his birthday, but that was the extent of their gift giving to one another. He ignores the thought that gifts sometimes indicate guilt.

Jack reaches into the bag and pulls out a bottle of wine. Not just any bottle, it is a 1929 Château Lascombes—expensive and rare. He swallows thickly, wondering if Ianto knows how special this particular bottle is to him. He clears his throat.

"Thank you." He clears it again when his voice cracks. "It's…it's amazing. How did you know?"

Ianto raises an eyebrow. "Know what?"

"It's one of my favorites. I haven't had it for years…decades," Jack murmurs, tracing a finger over the elegant gold lettering as he loses himself in memories of years long ago for a moment, memories he's fairly certain he hasn't shared with Ianto yet.

"You mentioned it once," Ianto replies, looking away for some reason Jack can't place. "I knew I had to get it when I saw it."

"Thank you," Jack says again. "Where in the world did you find it?"

This time Ianto clears his throat. "Little wine shop over the weekend. Maybe we could go sometime." Ianto glances down, hands slipping into his pockets and right foot toeing the ground in that way he has when he is nervous. "I was hoping you might be willing to share. Rift-willing, perhaps we could open it tonight?"

Jack grins and stands up to saunter around the desk. "Anything particular in mind?"

If Ianto were one to blush, Jack is sure he'd be bright red. Instead the Welshman shrugs again, going for nonchalant, failing to pull it off only because Jack is starting to learn him so well.

"I was thinking maybe you could come back to mine tonight. Cook dinner, drink wine, catch up."

"Catch up?" Jack wraps his arms around Ianto's waist and is secretly thrilled when the other man doesn't protest as much as he usually would at work. In fact, Ianto mirrors his action and pulls them closer together. "Why, did you miss me?" Jack whispers into his ear.

"Only if you missed me," Ianto replies softly. Jack's breath catches at the vulnerability in the other man's voice. He runs his hand up Ianto's back and brings it to his face, delighting in the feel of the stubble there. Ianto's face betrays none of his insecure words as he steadily meets Jack's gaze. Jack smiles and leans forward to kiss him.

"I did," he says. "Every time you were gone."

Ianto grins and kisses him back, and Jack could get lost in the kiss, it's that amazing. Those simple words have apparently had a profound effect on Ianto; he kisses with more passion and confidence than usual, and Jack rapidly finds his thoughts going places he tries not to go in the middle of the workday. Ianto seems to be having similar thoughts as his hands roam freely down Jack's back and along his arse, but then he steps away, reluctantly straightening his tie.

"I missed you too," he says softly, then laughs as he traces a finger along Jack's lips. "You've got beard burn. Better stay in here until your face isn't so red."

Jack kisses him again. "I don't care. I want to go back to yours right now and open that wine and let you ravage me all over with that beard."

Ianto mock-groans. "That's cruel, Jack. I'll be thinking about it all day now."

"I could always meet you downstairs for a quick reunion," Jack suggests with a wag of his eyebrows.

There's a hard knock at the door and they jump apart as Owen barges in. "Reunionize somewhere else, sometime else. Or never. We've got a case."

Ianto has a hard time meeting Owen's eyes, but he does offer Jack the soft smile Jack prizes so much, the look that he likes to think means Ianto is actually happy with him. He wants to see that look all the time, and he wants to be the only one who makes Ianto smile like that. He puts aside any thoughts of Ianto spending the weekend in bed with someone else and decides he will start working on that smile later that night.

* * *

When Owen dies a few weeks later, Jack tries to push Ianto away. He knows Ianto is upset with him and understands if the man wants nothing to do with him. Jack is best left alone to brood over his mistakes, and he knows it. Yet Ianto seems to know exactly when to give him space and exactly when to be there for him. He knows what Jack needs almost before Jack needs it, and for a fortnight they are together constantly, coping with Owen's death and Jack's part in it together.

Jack idly wonders if Ianto feels the same twinge of jealousy with Martha around that Jack sometimes feels when Ianto is out, but he knows Ianto is too professional to show it at work, and too stubborn to let slip in private. If Ianto seems more aggressive in bed than usual, Jack tells himself it's because they are both using sex as a coping mechanism. It was how their relationship had started, after all.

They go back to Ianto's flat almost every night, until the Saturday after Martha leaves and Ianto tells Jack he is going to spend the night at his sister's in Newport. He seems reluctant, and Jack can't help but wonder if it's because he doesn't want to see his sister (he's professed not feeling particularly close to her) or if it's because Ianto is lying to him.

He resists the urge to follow, but gives in to the need to track Ianto. He hates himself, feeling like a spy and a stalker and an overbearing boss all at once, but he needs the peace of mind, and justifies it by reasoning that he should be able to find and get in touch with Ianto quickly now that they are functioning with one less than fully capable team member. He's also feeling much more protective of his team, even more so of Ianto. Imagining Ianto in Owen's place makes Jack's heart clench painfully in his chest.

Strangely enough, he cannot find Ianto's signal anywhere. Even if his phone turned off or dead, Jack should still be able to track it with the sophisticated equipment at the Hub and the even better programs that Tosh wrote to go with them. The vague thought that perhaps Ianto is off planet brings a nervous laugh. It is more likely his phone has been destroyed, which Jack doesn't want to think about either, particularly when Ianto fails to answer Jack's text message. He's spent several hours worrying about it when Ianto texts him at two in the morning to reassure Jack that he is fine and there must be a glitch in the program.

He offers no other explanation, however, and when he comes in slightly later than is his habit the next day, Jack wonders once more about Ianto's night. He asks if Ianto had a good time, to which Ianto sighs, looking almost sad, and simply nods. And then suddenly and without warning he kisses Jack hard, hands roaming everywhere until Jack is lost to Ianto's sudden passion.

He tells himself Ianto missed him, but worries it's more guilt than desire.

* * *

Author's Note:  
I'm really not sure where this idea came from, but I started it on a plane ride a few weeks ago and it came pretty quick. There are three short parts, Past, Present, and Future. It might be what you think, it might not. Read the next part before you decide? Thank you to Taamar for beta reading and fixing the tenses, any mistakes are my own as I'm really not used to writing this way! And thanks for reading, hope you enjoy the next part!


	2. Part Two: Present

Part Two: Present

Gwen's wedding looms ominously over everything after that, placing its own unique stress on every team member. Between his doubts and fears about his relationship with Ianto and his increasing feelings of loss over Gwen, as well as his own longing for a normal life, Jack finds himself drifting away from Ianto. They still connect, still have dinner and spend long nights together, but the nights are fewer and the connection feels distant.

Ianto looks disappointed when Jack doesn't accept the other man's invitations or respond to his suggestive flirting, and he wonders if he is subconsciously punishing Ianto for all the times the Welshman begged off going out and spending time together. He wants to believe that Ianto misses him, but then the ugly voice in his head reminds him that Ianto can always tumble into bed with whomever he's seeing if he were lonely. In his most bitter moments, Jack even contemplates suggesting it to Ianto, but knows he would come across as cruel and angry. Even though he is upset, Jack doesn't want to hurt Ianto.

When Ianto makes plans during Gwen's hen night, Jack is forced to call Gwen for help with a shape-shifting alien. He is both irritated and relieved that Ianto is unavailable; he feels bad that he had to call Gwen, but enjoys one last good run with her as a single woman. She ends up with a nasty bite on her arm, but it doesn't stop her from going out and enjoying the rest of the night with her friends. Ianto doesn't come back to the Hub that night, and Jack dreads the next day even more.

Ianto does come in early, which gives them plenty of time to deal with Gwen's unexpected alien pregnancy. There is still some flirting, though Jack feels the tension between them. He's not sure if it's only him, or if Ianto is dealing with his own issues as well. They snap almost as much as they flirt, and the drive to the wedding venue is thorny, with Ianto seeming more comfortable with Owen than with Jack.

The wedding is a fiasco, as only a Torchwood wedding can be, and Jack cannot help but wallow in his remorse. He's lost Gwen and feels like he will probably lose Ianto as well, because what can he offer Ianto anyway? He can't give him the fairytale wedding and happily ever after that Rhys gave Gwen. Ianto should be with someone normal. He should get married, start a family, and be happy, like Gwen. If Jack is tense and snappish, he can't help it and feels guilty, but maybe it's for the best. Maybe Ianto will have had enough and leave him. Ianto deserves better.

When Ianto asks him to dance, Jack hates how awkward it feels at the start, as if they were strangers who don't know what to say to one another. But as he relaxes, he remembers all the things that he cherishes about the man in his arms, and by the end he never wants to let go, wants this—the fairy tale—more than anything. Ianto gives him a small smile and nods self-consciously to the room.

"Back to work," he says softly. Jack stops him as he steps away.

"Wait, Ianto, I—"

Ianto shakes his head and drops his eyes. "It's fine. You don't have to say anything."

"I do," Jack replies. One dance has reminded him of something he's not let himself think about: he misses Ianto, even when he's always right there, waiting. He's let his doubts and fears and general bad mood get in the way, and he's not sure if he can get back what they had before, but he desperately wants to try. "I'm sorry."

"I know," says Ianto with that shrug that tells Jack more than any words ever could.

"No, you don't," Jack says. "I'm sorry I've been such an arse these last few weeks. I know I was and yet I…it's been hard but I…"

He stops. Another song starts, and fortunately it's a slow one so he raises his eyebrows and offers his hand. Ianto takes it, and they begin another dance.

"I was married once," Jack says softly, and Ianto glances at him in surprise. Something he didn't know, then. Jack smiles at the small victory. "A long time ago, you'd barely recognize me from the pictures."

Ianto rolls his eyes. "You haven't changed in a hundred years, Jack."

"But weddings back then were very serious affairs," Jack replies. "We look like bored statues in the pictures even though we were quite happy. She was an amazing woman, and I loved her very much. I think…I think all this has brought back a lot of memories, and sometimes I've got lost in them. I didn't mean to take it out on you."

Ianto sighs and rests his head against Jack's, and they are silent for a long moment as they sway to the music. Jack's inner voice is starting to panic, certain that Ianto won't forgive him, even though he's forgiven Jack for far worse. Jack holds him tight and wills back the tears—tears for what he once had but lost, tears for what he has and might still lose, tears for what he can never truly have again. But he can't, and he buries his face in Ianto's shoulder so no one can see, his nose tucked into the spot right behind Ianto's ear.

Ianto stiffens, and Jack stops moving, too terrified to move. But Ianto runs a calming hand up and down his back and takes his hand, murmuring in his ear. "Not here, Jack. Come on, let's go outside."

Jack nods and presses a kiss into Ianto's neck, which is when he sees it: a love bite, fading away but still clear enough, in the place behind Ianto's ear Jack had been certain was his and his alone. The first time he'd kissed and nipped Ianto there, the other man had gasped and grasped him hard; Ianto later confessed that no one had ever kissed him there and that it had been an amazing turn-on. Jack made sure to hit that spot when they kissed, more often than not leaving his own mark there. Once or twice after a particularly good night he'd caught Ianto rubbing at it with a smile, as if remembering. They'd exchange looks across the Hub, and Jack liked that it was something only he and Ianto knew and shared.

But now…Jack brings his index finger up and traces the darkened skin, his heart beating rapidly. He hasn't been with Ianto for at least three days. He had not left that mark, which meant that someone else had. Ianto had been with someone else, probably the same person he'd been with every time he'd gone out without Jack. Jack steps away, reeling with confusion— that this could happen to him, and that he feels so heartbroken over something as simple as a love bite.

He opens his mouth to speak without knowing what to say, but Ianto grabs his hand and pulls him across the dance floor and out the door, ignoring Tosh as she calls out to them in concern. He doesn't stop until they are outside behind the hotel in the gardens. Glancing around, he tugs Jack's hand again and takes him toward a nearby gazebo. Jack follows silently, still too stunned to think.

Ianto lets go of Jack's hand and paces before him, one hand on his hip as the other runs through his hair. Jack has no idea what Ianto is thinking and decides to head him off before he can spin lies or confess truths Jack doesn't think he can bear to hear.

"It's okay, you know," Jack says, hoping his voice sounds casual but hearing the hurt he feels inside. "We never really talked about it, after all."

Ianto glances up, eyes wide. Jack shrugs and answers the unasked question. "Seeing other people. I understand, I guess. Torchwood being Torchwood and all. I do wish you'd told me, though."

Ianto continues to stare at him for a long moment before he takes two steps and crushes his lips to Jack's. Jack holds back a sob as he feels Ianto's passion crash into him and kisses him back, wondering if it might be their last, if this is goodbye. It's Ianto who finally stops and steps back, blue eyes bright as he meets Jack's gaze.

"There is no one else, Jack," he says, his voice intense.

"Please don't lie to me," Jack replies, right hand reaching up to brush against the love bite he knows he didn't leave behind Ianto's ear. "I think we're beyond that now."

"I'm not lying," Ianto replies, nuzzling into Jack's palm.

"I didn't do this," Jack murmurs, dropping his hand. "I thought I was the only one who knew that spot."

"You are," Ianto insists. "You are the only one who has ever kissed me there, ever left a mark there."

"I don't remember leaving that one," Jack says, shaking his head with a sad smile.

"You are the only one," Ianto insists, taking both of Jack's hands and staring into his eyes as if willing him to understand on his own. "Only you."

Jack wants to believe, but how can he? The evidence is right there, etched in place behind Ianto's ear, unless it isn't a love bite at all. Yet Jack has left enough marks to recognize one, and Ianto's reaction seems to confirm it, only Jack still doesn't understand and shakes his head.

"Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth," Ianto murmurs, quoting one of Jack's favorite authors. His left hand plays with the wrist strap on Jack's right, bringing it between them to rest and laying it against his heart. "Only you, Jack. Do you understand?"

Jack glances at their entwined hands holding his wrist strap, thinking it's not possible, it's insane, but Ianto holds his gaze and nods. Jack's eyes widen and he shakes his head as understanding crashes into him, then Ianto kisses him hard, dancing more kisses across his jaw and his ear and his neck.

Jack laughs nervously. "Me, but not this me, then?" Another nod. "Not past me, so future me?"

Ianto steps back, still holding both hands tight. and nods again. "Jack, I'm so sorry, it's been so hard. I didn't know what to do. I hated not telling you, but I couldn't because he said I hadn't, not yet." He pauses. "Hopefully I didn't just mess up the timeline by telling you now."

"That you were sleeping with my future self?" Jack jokes. He thinks about it and realizes it actually doesn't bother him as much as it could. Because it confirms something he's long suspected as he's watched Ianto go off on his own: that Ianto meant more to him than anyone else in his life had meant for a long time. And apparently Ianto meant enough for a future version of Jack to come back to the past to see the Welshman. Which was something to look forward to, perhaps, except that it also meant that Ianto was obviously gone by that point.

"How far from the future?" he asks, and Ianto shrugs as he looks down.

"You…he didn't say. But Jack…it's not what you think, not exactly…"

Jack raises an eyebrow and tries to find his footing with innuendo and a leer. "You mean, you never considered a threesome?"

Ianto laughs nervously. "Oh, he did, of course he did. But it wasn't about that, not really."

Jack touches the love bite behind Ianto's ear. "Obviously there was some of that," he says softly. "Only me."

"Only you," Ianto says softly. "But there wasn't as much of …well, _that_ as you might think. And last night was the last time he could come back, he said." Ianto frowns and closes his eyes. "I bet he left this just for you to find, dirty bastard."

"Sounds like me," Jack agrees. "But why?"

"He said we wouldn't need him anymore, not after tonight." Ianto shakes his head. "Whatever that means."

Jack has some ideas, but he also has more questions. "I meant why did he come back to see you?"

Ianto sighs as he turns away, leaning over the side of the gazebo and gazing into the night. "He was so broken, Jack. You. Him. I don't know how many years in the future he was from, and he didn't say why he came back. He said he remembered things—probably this conversation—and that he was making sure those memories didn't change." Ianto laughs through his nose. "Basic causal time loop, he said. But I think he needed to talk more than anything." He turns toward Jack, arms crossed over his chest. "You don't talk much."

Jack nods, but remains silent.

"You said…well, the you from the future…he said he regretted not talking more."

Blowing out a breath, Jack can only agree. "He was right, then. I do. It's hard for me."

Ianto watches him carefully. "He didn't spill your secrets, if you're worried," he offers. "But he told me things…things he remembered thinking or feeling at the time. Things he thought I should know, or things he thought would be good for us." He grins. "Like the bottle of wine you liked so much, or the beard."

"So my future self came back to play relationship counselor for himself?" Jack asks. Only in Torchwood. It seems an odd thing for anyone to do, let alone him, yet more than anything he can't help but wonder how his wrist strap had been repaired for him to even consider it. He suspects that Ianto does not know that particular answer, though. He will have to settle for the knowledge that one day it will work, and he will come back to see Ianto.

"He explained some things," Ianto replies, gazing into the distance behind Jack. "About how you felt when Owen died, for one."

Jack smiles. "So that's how you always knew exactly what to do or say."

Ianto shrugs but looks pleased. "In part, but I also know you. You were trying to push me away, and I wasn't going to have it. He said you'd do the same thing as Gwen's wedding grew closer, though he never said quite how much, nor did he mention anything about you having been married before."

"He left me that much, at least," Jack murmurs. Ianto watches him before holding out a hand in invitation. Jack takes it and is pulled close.

"He was a good man. _You_ are a good man, Jack." Ianto presses a kiss to his temple. "And you deserve to be happy, more than anyone I know. But you don't always let yourself."

Jack swallows hard. "Because it always ends," he whispers.

Ianto sighs and nods. "I know. And I know you don't think so, but you make me happy. Even with all the running and chasing and fighting and dying, all the Weevils and aliens and crazy exes. In the middle of all that is dark and horrible about Torchwood, _you_ make it better. You make me want to do this, to keep going, to make the world a better place. You give me meaning, and purpose, and hope." He pauses and takes a deep breath. "And if there is anyway I can do the same for you—"

Jack kisses him to stop him from talking anymore. "You do," he breathes against Ianto's lips. "More than you can possibly know, you make my life here and now a better, richer life." He pauses. "Did he tell you that?"

"No," Ianto laughs, sounding relieved. "He didn't, though I was hoping I'd made some sort of impact since he'd made the effort to come back and see me."

"You have and you do," Jack says. "Which is probably why he came back, to make sure you knew. To make sure I knew to _tell_ you. He said we didn't need him anymore, right?"

Ianto nods, and Jack grins. "Because now I've said it. We have each other, we don't need him anymore. I'm sorry about the last few weeks, but you make me happy too and I don't want to lose that. For as long as we have together, yeah?"

It isn't a marriage proposal or even a declaration of love, but it's something more than casual dates and quick shags, and Jack feels his heart swell. He hopes that Ianto feels the same and kisses him to show him exactly how he feels. He even entertains the idea of taking it further right there under the stars, but it's quite cold now and he'd rather take his time later showing Ianto how much he means to him.

"Thank you for telling me the truth," he says softly when they part. "About him. Me. And for taking care of him. Later on. Or before." He snorts. "Time travel is impossible to talk about sometimes."

Ianto nods in agreement. "It is, and you're welcome. Thank you for understanding. At times it felt so wrong, even though it was still you, and he needed someone so badly."

"If anyone understands the tricks of time travel, it's me," says Jack. "To be honest, I've been worried for months that you were seeing someone else…that you were happier with someone else. It's rather surprising but a little flattering to find out it was actually another me."

Ianto laughs with him. "I'm sorry," he says again.

"Me too," Jack replies. "I know I've been distant, and even if he told you it was going to happen, I know it hasn't been easy."

Ianto takes his hand and nods his head back toward the hotel. They start back hand in hand. "It wasn't, but it's over. Let's make the most of the time we have now."

"But work first?" Jack teases.

"Job to finish," Ianto replies. "Lots to do."

"Do you think…" Ianto turns to look at him. "I mean, it's going to be a late night, and it's already been a long day…do you think there are any rooms left? Maybe we could spend the night? Order a bottle of wine, have breakfast in bed…" He wants it so badly.

Ianto thinks about it and shakes his head. "Probably, but I'd rather go home. Leave Gwen and Rhys to it, plus we won't inadvertently trigger anyone's memories after we Retcon the lot of them."

"Oh." Jack tries not to let his disappointment show. "Good points."

Ianto glances sideways at him, squeezes his hand. "Come back to mine. It's been a while, or it feels like it. You have some clothes there, and I have wine. You can stay the night, maybe spend the weekend if the boss gives us a break."

Jack grins. "I think he might, with an invitation like that. You're not trying to bribe the boss for a day off, are you?"

"Of course not, sir," Ianto replies dryly. "I'm just trying to get into his trousers."

They laugh once more as they enter the hotel together, still holding hands.

Neither one of them sees a man in a long dark coat step out from behind a nearby tree and nod in satisfaction.

Author's Note:  
I'm not reinventing the wheel here, just changing the color of the car. So if the first chapter left you wondering (and most likely figuring out) what was going on with Ianto, now you can wonder (and probably guess) who the guy spying on them is. Final part to come soon, and it is both appropriately and ironically named Future. Thank you to Taamar for looking this over—and all while working on her own story! Please check it out, it's wonderful (I know because I've read it all.) It's called Like Hope From Ashes. Leave lots of reviews because comments keep our blood flowing to the fingers that type these tales. Ta!


	3. Part Three: Future

Part Three: Future

Time travel was a curious, amazing thing. It had allowed Jack to experience times and places from long ago, to become a part of history during his years with the Time Agency and his brief months with the Doctor. He'd seen so much, learned so much more, and yet it was things like this—timey-whimey, as the Doctor liked to say—that sometimes left Jack in awe of the universe and the strange ways in which it worked.

He remembered the scene he'd just witnessed at the gazebo. Finding out that Ianto had been sleeping with his future self had been a bit of a shock, but it had also been a relief. Even though he'd written off proper relationships, Jack had spent months thinking and worrying about his relationship with Ianto. The thought of Ianto sneaking around behind his back had hurt; Jack hated the feeling of not being enough, not being _good_ enough. That Ianto had been sneaking around with another version of himself had been a bit of an ego boost, if he was honest, but more than that, it had settled Jack's mind, as well as his heart. He'd accepted and shared his feelings with Ianto, and things had been good between them. Almost like the normal relationships he'd avoided for so long.

They'd had less than a year after that, and at times it had been difficult. But they'd had each other to lean on after Tosh and Owen had died, and they'd grown even closer. Sometimes it amazed Jack that Ianto stayed with him, and he never stopped worrying about his beloved Welshman. They'd moved in together and were happy for a summer, until an old enemy of Jack's from his days as a conman surfaced, and Ianto suffered once again for his ties to Torchwood and to Jack.

It had been their closest call yet, and Jack had been determined to send Ianto away. Yet Ianto recovered from his injuries and figured it out, and he had been livid. Jack shook his head as he remembered that particular fight—the furious shouting, the quick and hard right hook, the devastating silent treatment afterwards; then the realization that he would never be able to tell Ianto what to do, that he didn't want to lose him no matter what might come between them, and of course, the spectacular makeup sex afterward. Jack had vowed to protect Ianto as best as he could, but deep down he'd still questioned the wisdom of staying together. Torchwood was dangerous enough; he hated that being a couple put Ianto at even more risk.

They had finally settled back into their relationship and regained some measure of what they'd lost when the 456 appeared and ripped it all away. Jack closed his eyes as he pushed back the memories of one of the darkest times of his life: of being blown apart, of facing down an alien species determined to take the earth's children, of losing first Ianto and then his grandson. Yes, he had saved millions of others, but he'd lost too much and had wandered for months before he couldn't bear to stay any longer. And then he'd wandered amongst the stars for years, occasionally returning to Earth to answer her siren call, but always finding pain and heartbreak: finally shedding his immortality only to have to take it back again, losing Gwen several years later, losing everything he'd cared about on the one planet he'd called home for most of his life.

Eventually he'd stopped going back, until the day he'd been traveling on a freighter, searching for something, anything, to do with his life. It was a throw away line on a second rate newscast covering events in the Moneta system, where some sort of temporal-spatial anomaly had appeared. The newscaster had referred to it as a blip in time.

It was as if his world had exploded before him. Memories rushed in, flooding him with so many different emotions he wasn't sure what was real anymore. Had he really ever felt so much for one person? It had been well over a century since he'd left Earth, and he'd finally put most of it behind him, but those four little words - _a blip in time_ \- brought back a night he'd repressed or forgotten. Or been forced to forget.

Ianto Jones. Not just a blip in time. A special, cherished, much loved, and greatly missed partner from his last years on Earth. Jack had never forgotten Ianto Jones, and never would, not in a thousand years. But as he tried to still his racing heart in that moment of realization, he remembered one night he _had_ forgotten—the night of Gwen Cooper's wedding.

It had been a fiasco, of course, being Gwen and Torchwood. Because Jack had been such an arse at the time, his relationship with Ianto had been sorely tested in the days and weeks leading up to the wedding. As he'd sat in that freighter, he remembered finding the love bite on Ianto's neck, being dragged outside to the gazebo, and Ianto telling him everything about Jack's future self. How could he have forgotten something so important?

Because he'd been made to forget.

Watching his past self disappear back into the hotel to clean up after Gwen's wedding, Jack bit back a sigh, hating what he had to do. Yet it had to be done: he hadn't remembered anything about the conversation at the gazebo until he'd heard those four heartbreaking words, and Ianto hadn't remembered anything about Jack's visits to him over the course of that summer and fall either. They'd retained the new feeling of intimacy and understanding, but not the specifics. So now the two men inside would have to forget as well. They would remember when it was time to remember and close the circle when the universe apparently decided the time was right.

Time was a curious, amazing thing.

Everything had changed that night for Jack and Ianto. They'd both started sharing more and holding back less, finally willing to admit (though without saying it out right and out loud) that their relationship was more than shagging and that yes, they cared. A lot. At the time, Jack had thought it was because of the wedding. He hadn't questioned it because it made sense that he and Ianto would grow closer after watching a coworker live out her happy ending. They had been really good together, until Jack had lost him nine months later to the 456.

"I still can't believe we didn't remember that," said a voice next to him, and Jack brought his thoughts back to the present with a smile. He glanced sideways, somehow not surprised to see Ianto standing there even though he was supposed to be waiting at a nearby café, away from the wedding and the guests.

"That's because I have to go in there and Retcon them. Us," Jack said quietly, still staring at the hotel. Ianto nodded and tucked his hands into the pockets of his black peacoat. He wasn't wearing a suit, and though Jack missed it, he liked the casual look as well. Ianto had said that since he no longer worked for Torchwood and had as good as died in a suit, he didn't need to be reminded of either every day. Jack understood; he had long abandoned his World War II era greatcoat and adopted a more contemporary fashion sense, currently a long leather coat, not unlike one of the Doctors'. Ianto had been disappointed, but he'd understood that Jack had left that part of his life behind years ago. Now it was time for both of them to start a new life—together.

"I could do it, if you like," Ianto said quietly, toeing the ground. Jack shook his head.

"No, they both know I've been back in time, so they won't be too surprised if they see me. But to see _you_ from the future…" He trailed off, the implication clear. The Ianto in the hotel knew he'd died, knew Jack had been upset enough to come back to see him; he was clever enough to figure things out if his future self appeared, not much older and bearing Retcon. He wouldn't remember, of course, because he was pragmatic enough to understand and take the Retcon, but Jack still didn't want to mess with timelines and the vague memory of seeing a man in a long leather coat after the wedding.

No, it needed to be Jack, even though he knew he was robbing both men inside of a deeper understanding of their relationship. And he was taking those nights with his future self away from Ianto as well, nights where he had reassured the Welshman of his feelings in spite of Jack's past self keeping them tucked away.

"Don't go asking about that threesome again," Ianto murmured beside him. "I'll definitely feel left out then."

"I'd suggest a foursome if I didn't think it would mess with the timelines too much," Jack chuckled. Ianto smirked at him.

"There's always more Retcon," he suggested. They eyed one another and laughed. Jack reached for Ianto's hand and pulled him close, reveling in the touch and feel of the man before him, particularly after watching their past selves come to the understanding that had originally brought them closer.

"Don't worry, I'm more than happy with just one of you," he said.

"And we're even now," Ianto pointed out. "I slept with your future self and you slept with my past self."

Jack nuzzled at the spot behind Ianto's ear where he had left a mark the night before on the other Ianto. He wasn't sure whether he'd done it because he remembered finding it, or because he'd wanted—or needed—to trigger the revelation, but either way, it had worked. His past self now had his Ianto back, and Jack had his as well. One who still shivered as Jack nipped behind and below his ear.

"Gotta love time travel," he murmured.

"I wouldn't be here without it," Ianto replied, and Jack stepped back, hearing something in Ianto's voice that worried him.

"Are you all right?" he asked, still holding Ianto's hand. "Seeing all this…you're not upset about what I did, are you?"

"Saving me from an alien virus?" Ianto asked lightly, though it sounded slightly forced. He sighed as he realized it. "No, Jack, I'm not. I've told you a dozen times, I'm not mad. I get to spend more time with you, and I get to do it seeing the galaxy. How could I be upset about that?"

Jack studied him; there was more. "What's wrong, then?"

Ianto smiled and shook his head. "It's been over a hundred years for you, and you still see right through me."

Jack kissed him. "Always did, always will. So what is it?"

Ianto inclined his head toward the hotel. "Them. Us."

"You do want that foursome!" Jack teased, and Ianto rolled his eyes. Jack had missed that almost as much as anything else about Ianto.

"I certainly do not. But I hate taking this away from them. From us. It made such a difference." He sighed, and Jack pulled him close.

"I know," he said. "But that difference will still be there. We both know how it was between us after the wedding, only we thought it was down to other things, not to all this. I'll make sure I leave that when I Retcon them. But since I didn't remember until a few months ago, and you didn't remember until I told you I'd remembered, we have to do it. They have to forget."

"I know," Ianto sighed. "Doesn't mean I have to like the idea of wiping my own memories."

"I don't like it either," Jack said, kissing him and reassuring him. "But it's better this way. They won't have doubts. Besides, we know it works out."

"They don't," Ianto whispered, his eyes slipping closed. "You spent over a hundred years alone, and I died thinking…"

He trailed off, and Jack sighed, knowing exactly what Ianto had been about to say. Ianto had almost died thinking that Jack didn't care about him. He'd confessed his love on his deathbed, but Jack had been too terrified of losing Ianto in that moment to think straight and return the sentiment. The memory had haunted him for years, as painful as the memory of Steven lying dead in his mother's arms.

When Ianto first awoke with Jack in the 23rd century, he'd been confused. Fully expecting to die in Jack's arms, he had opened his eyes to the bright lights of an alien hospital instead. Then he'd been angry. Why had Jack saved him, he asked, especially if he didn't love him? Did he feel guilty about his utter lack of regard? Was that why he'd gone back, to give himself a second chance because he'd blown it the first time? Ianto had fired question after painful question at him.

The words had stung, and it had been far from the reunion Jack had hoped for. And then there was explaining not only why, but _how_ it had happened, which had been even more difficult than Jack had anticipated.

After Jack had heard the trigger words and regained his memories of the conversation at the gazebo, he'd realized what he had to do. He remembered all the times Ianto had gone away and how he'd been certain Ianto was with someone else, so he'd gone back to be that someone else. He'd traveled back to the past to see Ianto, spending time with him—mostly talking, although there were certainly other activities.

As he'd spent time with Ianto's past self again after a hundred years, he'd remembered more and more about what an amazing man Ianto Jones had been. And Jack had wanted that again. He'd wanted _Ianto_ again. And so he'd decided to save him, timelines be damned. If he did it right, he wouldn't create a paradox anyway, and no one but him and Ianto would have to know. He didn't tell Ianto about spending time with his past self, not yet, but that he'd desperately missed him and wanted to be with him again, which was equally true. Ianto had been skeptical, still angry at Jack for his lack of response at Thames House, and he'd wanted to know exactly how Jack had done it.

Jack needed a decoy body, but that hadn't been hard to figure out in the future, and he'd practiced the timing with his restored vortex manipulator until he knew he could get it right. He'd then teleported into Thames House moments after he and Ianto had succumbed to the alien virus. Taking out the cameras and leaving behind the decoy body, he'd taken the unconscious and barely breathing form of Ianto Jones around his shoulders and teleported back to his current time. He'd worried that someone would notice something about the other body, but he didn't remember anything being said or done at the time so he assumed he was safe. He'd done everything he could think of to protect the timeline yet save Ianto, and it seemed to have worked.

Jack worried that something would still go wrong, and as Ianto recovered in the hospital on Monere, the Doctor had tracked them down and demanded to know what was going on. After Jack explained, the Doctor had railed a bit at about the consequences to the timelines, before acknowledging that Jack had, in fact, done very little damage with his rescue swap. However, he'd also demanded that Jack stop traveling in time if he couldn't be trusted not to change history, even threatening to disable the vortex manipulator again. Because it had taken Jack decades to just get the teleport function working, he'd reluctantly agreed. He had what he wanted, after all. After one last trip to the past to say goodbye, he would be ready to live in his present.

He'd had to explain his other trips to the past to Ianto, however, and that had not gone well. The alien virus had left Ianto weak, and he was in the hospital for weeks recovering, but it was his emotional state that had taken the biggest hit. He was still trying to understand Jack's parting words at Thames House, being presumed dead, then saved and taken out of his time. As Jack described his trips to the past, Ianto's own memories of Jack's visits had returned. He had been extremely upset and had retreated into himself, leaving Jack doubting his actions and regretting the pain he had caused.

Teleporting back to Gwen's hen night because he remembered Ianto telling him that it was the last time he'd seen Jack's future self, Jack had visited Ianto's past self one last time. Though it had been slightly awkward, given that there was another version of his Welshman waiting for him in the future, he'd left the love bite on Ianto's past self and returned to his own century, but it had been hard to come back. The man in the past clearly loved him; the man lying in the hospital bed clearly did not. Or his anger, at least, was too great for him to set aside, and Jack despaired of any sort of happy ending for either of them.

As Ianto grew stronger, however, and perhaps as he grew to know the future version of Jack better (or again, since he'd already met him in the past), Ianto gradually forgave him and came to understand, if not completely believe, that Jack hadn't gone back to Thames House because of his guilt, but because he _loved_ Ianto and wanted to be with him. Again. They restarted their relationship, slowly but surely, beginning as soon as Ianto was well enough with dinner and the 22nd century equivalent of a movie. Ianto had been impressed, and they had tumbled into bed after, much as they had the first time.

Because neither one of them had remembered Jack's visits to the past until so much later, they realized that they must have been Retconned—and that _they_ had to do it themselves. And so they had informed the Doctor of one more trip, to set things right once and for all with the timelines. Now all that remained was to actually administer the Retcon to their past selves and return to the future, secure with the knowledge that the timeline would continue as they remembered it.

Jack shook himself out of the memories, knowing he had to do it even though, like Ianto, he didn't want to. He laid his head on Ianto's shoulder.

"You died thinking you were just a blip in time," he said softly, finishing Ianto's unsaid thought. "You know you're not, right?"

"You came back in time to save me, Jack," Ianto replied with a chuckle. "It does make a bloke feel better about things."

"You were never a blip in time," Jack murmured. Then he laughed as well. "That was the trigger, you know. _A blip in time_. I'll have to make sure I plant that trigger in his…my…mind."

"So that when he hears it again you'll remember everything?" Ianto asked. He was still trying to catch on to the complicated implications of time travel, particularly when it came to pronouns and verb tense.

"Otherwise I'll never go back to see you, or go back to save you," Jack murmured. "And I don't want to give you up now."

Ianto kissed him, quick and chaste. "Then go and do what you have to do."

Jack wrapped his arms around Ianto and pulled him tight. "Too early. They need to Retcon the rest of the guests first, remember?"

"Right," Ianto murmured. "And whatever will we do to pass the time?"

"I can think of a few things," Jack replied with a grin.

"There's quite a list," Ianto said, and after a moment's pause they burst out laughing.

"Sorry, that was terrible," Ianto said, shaking his head.

"Hey, it's still a good line!" Jack protested.

"It's rubbish. I'm amazed it even worked."

Jack grinned. "It's those Welsh vowels," he said, and earned himself that eye roll he loved so much. "We could always deflower the honeymoon suite."

"Absolutely not!" Ianto exclaimed, sounding shocked. "You can't be serious!"

"You don't remember Gwen saying something about the room being used by the staff?" Jack teased, and Ianto's eyes went wide again. It was probably unfair, given that their memories _had_ been tampered with that night, so Jack let him off quickly. "I'm joking, on both counts."

Ianto nodded slowly, as if catching his breath. "Right. Good. Although I appreciate the sentiment, I think another venue would be more appropriate."

"Guest cottage?" suggested Jack. When Ianto appeared skeptical, Jack pulled him close. "We've got time," he whispered. "And I booked it properly. For the entire night and everything."

The last seemed to convince Ianto, who grinned and nodded. "If you're paying," he said, and Jack laughed as he led the way. "It's nicely full circle and all that."

Jack took his hand. "A second chance where it started?"

"Exactly."

They walked quietly until they reached a small cottage nestled on the grounds, far from the main building. Jack thought about stopping at the threshold and offering some heartfelt words, but decided he'd rather go straight inside. He took out the key he'd picked up earlier, brandishing it dramatically for Ianto, opened the door, and motioned the other man inside.

Following behind him, Jack was pleased to see everything in the room was arranged exactly as he had asked, from the turndown with chocolate and flowers, to the champagne sitting chilled in a bucket, set next to a bowl of fresh fruit. All that was missing were candles and music, and Jack had packed both. Ianto stopped and stared before he walked slowly into the room, eyes wide as he let his hand slide across the king size bed, over the chilled champagne.

Jack was thrilled with Ianto's reaction; he'd worked hard to make sure everything was just right. They still had to take their own memories from their past selves, but first they would make new memories for the future. Jack had a second chance, and he was going to make the most of it and do it right.

He was determined that their night be perfect, because he hoped it would be the true beginning of a new life together. Coming up behind Ianto, Jack rested his head on the Welshman's shoulder and sighed happily, if a bit nervously.

"What's going on, Jack?" Ianto asked, turning in his arms with a raised eyebrow. Yep, perfect.

"I was thinking," Jack began, and Ianto smiled. "Maybe we could…when this is over…"

He felt Ianto chuckle against him and laughed with him before taking a breath so he could finish. "Dinner? A movie?" he asked, then placed a finger to Ianto's lips before the man could say anything about office fetishes. "The rest of our lives together?"

Ianto's eyes went wide as Jack stepped back and reached into his pocket. He'd had the box since the day he'd left earth after Ianto's death, and had been carrying it around again for months, long before he'd gone back to Thames House for Ianto. It was what he wanted now, for as long as he could have it even if it wasn't for as long as he wanted. But his was already such a long life that Jack was tired of living with regrets, with dreams he'd failed to pursue, lonely and alone for so many years. He wanted this more than anything, and he hoped Ianto did too, particularly after all they'd been through together.

Apparently struck speechless, Ianto's response was to kiss him passionately, long and hard, leaving them breathless as their hands began to scramble at clothing. Jack stopped him, wanting to relish the moment. "So is that a yes?" he asked.

Ianto took his hand, led him to the bed, and proceeded to show him without words what his answer was. And with Ianto by his side, Jack knew his future, for now, would be absolutely perfect.

* * *

Author's Note

The End! I really hope that makes sense with all the jumping around. I know it might read as a bit confusing, but I did not want the flashbacks as part of the story, I wanted this chapter to be set after Gwen's wedding, only it needed a lot of explanation to get there. Still, happy endings all around, yeah? Surprise! Or not, since it's me. I hope you enjoyed it. So many thanks to Taamar for slogging through the hot mess of tense tangling. Go read her story now! Thanks for reading!


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